good morning. the countdown is on. just two days now until christmas and millions of procrastinators are headed out to finish their p shoing. we are live in the middle of the last minute rush dreaming of a white christmas in oklahoma. we have the snowy forecast for some that rarely see the white stuff this time of year. >> wheel of misfortune. imagine one woman's disbelief after correctly solving a puzzle but not winning because she mispronounced a word or did she? she is speaking out about what happened in an exclusive interview today, sunday, december 23rd, 2012.

and welcome to "today" on this sunday m i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester holt. she dropped her "g." seven swams a swimming was her answer. she said seven swans a swimmin'. >> it may be okay from you but apparently not from the judges. >> we are going to hear from renee a little bit later. in solidarity, we will drop our "g"s for the rest of the broadcast. we will talk a little holiday shopping. you told us you hadn't really started yet. your focus is on tomorrow to do all your shopping. i was flipping through the papers. i have good ideas. i am in good shape.

>> you are not alone the great holiday getaway continues. lots of people heading out to get home for the holidays. we have a preview of what's in store on the rhodes and at the airports. >> it is going to be a rather quiet christmas we are told for will and kate, the prince and the dutchess have decided to do their own thing this year to break with the decades of royal family tradition. we will tell you how they plan to spend the holiday. >> we are going to show our skills in the kitchen from bonbons to beef wellington. we are making and sharing our favorite holiday dishes. i wonder whose will be the best and who came up with the lame excuse that the dog ate my bread. >> you are calling that an excuse? >> it sure sound like one. >> wait until you see the sad face on the dog. millions of people haven't gun their holiday shopping yet. lester is one of them. michelle franzen is live in new jersey. >> reporter: plenty of people getting a move on here, leaving with big bags in hand.

they will be joined by the masses as this morning continues. not a typical sunday. millions of shoppers around the country getting an early start because they got a late start to the shopping season. with just two days left to go before christmas, the mad dash is on for holiday shoppers. >> we have three boys and a wife to finish shopping for and my inlaws are coming. it is going to be tense the last couple of days. >> reporter: a mysterious mix of shoppers wrapping up or done. >> i'm not a last-minute shopper at all. i have been ready since before thanksgiving. >> reporter: and others who are just beginning. >> i'm just beginning. >> i'm very last minute. my wife does all the shopping. >> reporter: procrastinators are in good company. a poll released by consumers reports found 132 million people hadn't finished their holiday shopping, 26 million had yet to start. 17 million said they plan to be shopping on christmas eve. uncertainty over the fiscal

cliff is affecting how much consumers are spending. retail analysts say holiday sales are on track to rise 4.1% to $586 billion, the most optimistic forecast since the recession. >> black friday did about $11.2 billion in sales. they had very strong results compared tos la the year. retailers are hoping that the consumers will come back and deliver the same strong results during the last weekend of the year. >> retailers are pulling out all the stops in these final days. some 50% off at some stores to longer shopping hours. toys "r" us, macy's and target are among the giant department stores staying open around the clock until christmas eve. top of the list this season, smart phones and all things apple along with clothing and toys. the challenge now -- >> i know who i need to buy for but not what i'm buying yet. >> reporter: finding those perfect gifts before time runs out.

>> a lot of those hard to find electronic gifts that are in demand, stores say they are refreshing their inventory even in these final days. erica, i have my list? do you need to add to it? >> i might need to, thanks. here is lester millions of holiday travelers are on the move this sunday before christmas. nbc's gabe gutierezz live in atlanta. >> reporter: so far, a smooth ride here. no major airports are reporting any significant delays. high winds caused problems on saturday in the northeast. so far today, the travel outlook is improving. >> from new york to washington to chicago -- >> it's been a nightmare. so far, it is turning out to be a nightmare. >> reporter: starting mid-week, a massive storm went through much of the country, dumping more than a foot of snow in some

places, more than 1700 u.s. flights canceled. >> i got delayed 24 hours. >> reporter: this was your bed right here? >> this was my bed, much cheaper than a hotel. >> reporter: on saturday, high winds delayed flights by almost two hours in washington and new york. syracuse is still digging out. for now, air travel is slowly getting easier. flightaware.com reports that on thursday, there were more than 1100 canceled flights in the u.s. on friday, that dropped to about 600. by saturday, more than 100. >> for six hours. >> reporter: a few of the remaining problems on the west coast for another storm system brought rain and snow. in california's higher elevations, would-be skiers struggled along i-80. >> it was quite a struggle to get to this point thus far. it is absolutely going to be worth it. >> reporter: for the 84 million people expected to travel by car, good news. gas prices are now an average of

$3.24 a gallon, down 20 cents in a month. for some families this christmas, even better news. just ask kate black, who saw her daughter, a navy recruit, for the first time in nine months. >> it is unreal. we have been waiting and waiting. we were really worried about the weather but everything worked out. we are just glad to have it. >> for them and so many others home for the holidays that never sounded so good. >> reporter: it's amazing the stories of determination and sometimes frustration you will find in the airport so far today. no big delays at any of the major airports throughout the country so far. >> that is good to here. here is erica. a chance some of us could have a white christmas on tuesday. it may not be where you expect to see it. good morning. >> good morning, erica. this storm is still very far away. it is still making its way onshore out near california. it is going to slowly trek across the country and we're not

going to see a lot of snow for christmas. i think at this point, a little goes a long way. you don't want it to affect travel all that much. we are going to see this storm eventually start to push to the east. there is the chance that as it moves through salt lake city and eventually down to the south and east, we are going to see the chance of some of the snowflakes falling back through oklahoma of all places, arkansas possibly as well. monday night into tuesday. so you might be waking up to a white christmas by the time we get into the morning hours of christmas in oklahoma and arkansas. as you can see, typical areas for white christmas do not include oklahoma and arkansas. that's why it is a little bit more unusual. that would be the bt chance offer seeing any sort of snowfall. then, eventually, it will start to push to the southeast and we will be seeing snow through the rest of the week, erica. >> thanks. we'll get the full forecast in a few minutes. lester? turning now to politics, from the looming fiscal cliff to the ongoing con tro versus over the nra's recent comments

following the sandy hook elementary strategy. a lot to discuss with david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." the president and congress have left town for the holidays. any chance they might come back early, any sense of a deal in the works? >> i think there is a deal in the works. it is just a smaller deal. they will be back next thursday. i have been talking to folks on capitol hill and the white house. i think they are going for a smaller deal that could put off some of the effects of the fiscal cliff and get a tax cut extension for those making $250,000 or less. wealthier americans would pay for. you would avoid the fiscal cliff for now. you kick the can down the road. this is washington dysfunction at its height but it would forestal the cliff i wonder if we are seeing a change to speaker boehner that got his hand slapped by some

members of his party. is there long-term damage here? >> the white house is that they don't have a real partner to negotiate with. republicans are facing a reality that the public is supportive of raising taxes on wealthier americans. they are likely to have to support that. the question is always whether boehner is going to move forward without a majority support from his own party on a particular bill that may start from coming from the senate. these are debates that have to still be resolved. even if there is a short-term deal, these big issues over taxes and spending are far from resolved. if we get into the president's second term, they are still going to be occupying him. >> for folks who maybe may not have focused, if no deal is done, virtually, everybody's taxes would go up, correct? >> correct. automatic spending cuts to defense, other social programs. this is washington. congress can act quickly when their backs are really against the wall. we could go over the cliff and they could still come back

within a few days and do legislation that would mitigate much of the damage. >> you have the head of the nra on your program. we made that controversial statement about putting armed guards into schools. where does this debate go, david? >> the big question is, twofold. does the president want this fight. is he prepared to extend the political capital to get gun control legislation. does the nra want to be part of this discussion or not? was wayne lapierre girding for a fight or does he want to be part of a broader discussion about how to deal with this kind of violence? >> david, thanks very much. let's get a check of some of the other top stories we are following on a sunday morning. jenna wolfe is here with those. good morning to you. president obama will attend the funeral in hawaii for senator daniel inouye. they have been paying tribute to the late senator. the 88-year-old died monday of

respiratory complications. harry reid is asking hawaii's governor to appoint a successor before the end of the year. his death leaves the democrats down one seat in the senate. egypt appears to have its new constitution. the final official count won't be known until monday. both sides say the islamic-backed constitution will pass. the nation is still divided over the pass it gives president morsi. only about one-third of the voters turned out at the polls newtown, connecticut, while still in mourning over the deadly school shooting is being flooded with gifts from across the country, from people expressing their grief. social workers say while they are so grateful for the donations, including about 60,000 teddy bears, it is much more than the town can handle. they are suggesting that people do charitable work or make a donation in the victim's name. >> more than $2.6 million have been attributed to the town's official memorial fund file this under random acts

of kindness. a group of about 100 people at denver international airport wanted to say thanks to our troops who protect our country. they went to the airport and passed out stockings, full of candy, gifts, held up signs, anything they could. the group comes together every december 22nd to say a much deserved thanks to our troop. nothing says holiday party quite like an ice sculpture and watching lester dance but mainly the ice. in northern china, it was all ice as their annual ice festival. with temperatures at 18 below, sculptors are building an entire city of ice that lights up from night from the inside and out. everyone is welcome to visit. lester is welcome to come and dance. this week, busy. nobody knows that better than a guy named santa. we can confirm the presents are all on board.

the naughty and nice list in is in his front pocket and his gps is calculating routes. we are good to go on all fronts. that is the news. back to lester, erica and dylan. i am getting mean looks from lester. >> we should explain i busted a move in your office this morning. >> he did not know i was watching. i was like, that was great. he dances when no one is watching. >> very nice, very nice. >> after a little eggnog, i will show you all. >> that will be in about 45 minutes. a lot of people trying to go out and finish their shopping. we are going to see really not a but we are going to see not a lot going on. the west coast is a big story, and it's still producing tons of mountain snow and another to the or two is possible, but the rest of the country is quiet. chilly through the plains, and the east coast will enjoy

sunshine today and temperatures at about 40 degrees and we have showers and an isolated storm down in the east. that's a look at the weather across the country, and now here is a peek out your window. >> i am chuck bell, and we're off to a cold start this morning but the ferocious winds of yesterday are long gone and they are not coming back for your sunday. temperatures now are primarily in the 20s, and there are cold spots, manassas, 19, and wald f waldorf, 23, and the forecast is filled with sunshine and mild. temperatures in the mid that is your latest forecast. lester? >> dylan, thanks. up next on "today," a royal holiday. the will and kate way. we'll tell you more about that right after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] watch out, casanova. there's a new ladies' man in town, and he knows to shop at walgreens during the holidays. we have great gifts at great prices, online and in the store.

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instead of spending the holidays with it's queen and the rest of the family, they will be celebrating with the middletons. we have more. >> reporter: it might have been her first christmas as a royal but last year, kate was definitely the star attraction. >> she said she liked it and wished you merry christmas. >> reporter: even prince william couldn't upstage her and he was giving out kisses. so this christmas day, the crowds may be slightly disappointed. kate and william will be having a quiet break with her family. >> this is probably to do with the fact that kate is not feeling well with her extreme morning sickness and wants to be near her mom. >> reporter: she is continuing to recover after spending three nights in the hospital earlier this month forcing her to cancel public engagements. last week, she made a dazzling return at a bbc celebration for britain's sports stars. kate told them she was feeling well again. since leaving the hospital, the dutchess has been recovering

here at kensington's palace. by going to her parents' home, she and william are breaking with decades of tradition. normally, the entire royal family gather at the queen's country escape. it is not the first time kate has done things her way. no horse and carriage on her wedding day. no lady in waiting and we believe her baby won't have a full-time nanny unlike her husband when he was a child. >> it just shows them to be a modern couple, prepared to do things their way. >> reporter: kate's family has its traditions too. pippa recently revealed their dad always dresses up in fancy dress costume and told a magazine, the middletons christmas should be blissfully calm. we are good at keeping each other's spirits up. >> reporter: have a start to her pregnancy, that's just what she needs. still to come on the sunday edition of "today," can she maybe buy a do-over. the wheel of fortune dispute

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still to come on "today," she knew the answer but when she solved the puzzle, this "wheel of fortune" player didn't get the one win. what happened? we're going to speak with her coming up the holidays can make some holiday situations. advice to how to avoid the worst of them. first, these messages. we're gonna save you money. with straight talk at walmart, you get unlimited talk, text and data for only $45 a month per phone. would we get the same coverage? same coverage on america's best networks. you saved $146.76 by switching to straight talk. awesome! now you can afford to share your allowance with me. get the season's hottest smartphones

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good morning. it's 8:26 on this sunday, december 23rd. i am richard jordon. topping your news, police say a serial arsonist has struck

again. this is the 37th time since november 13th somebody has set fire to an abandoned structure in the county. nobody has been hurt in any of the incidents and police believe the same person is behind most of the fires. and then police cruz are trying to figure out what caused the fire that displaced four. firefighters say it looked like it started in the garage. the family got out of the home unscathed but they are looking for temporary shelter. another day of smooth sailing on the metro lines. there will not be track work on four of the lines, and the only exception is on the green line. normal weekend track work will pick back up the weekend after new year's. storm team 4, chuck

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we are off to a cold start today, but a lot less wind, compared to yesterday when everybody was holding on to their hats. let's talk to chuck bell. >> good morning, everybody. our colleague tweeted me yesterday and wanted to know if she should deflate her inflatable santa claus, and if you did, today you can re-inflight your santa without fear of it blowing away. a bundle up factor for sure on your way out to get things done today, whether it's a trip to the mall or sunday services, and a good traveling day as well, and no more high wind impact weather reports. tomorrow, cloudy and cold rain likely to see a sleet pellet or two. we have a full hour of news,

and we will talk rg3 and holiday shopping. what more do you want? we will see you after the "today" show. ♪ ♪ jingle bell rock back on a sunday morning two days before christmas, december 23rd, 2012. a nice crowd stopping by here. again, they are waiting for the stores to open so they can do their christmas shopping or maybe check out the tree. we are happy to have all of them happy here as well as you at home. i'm lester home alongside erica, jessica and dylan. still to come, confusion and a little bit of controversy around a particular episode of "wheel of fortune." she pronounced this phrase but maybe dropped the "g." it sounded like she got the answer.

host, pat sajack, said no. we will get her story. >> it is the holidays in addition to the trees and shopping. there are those family get togethers that can lead to lovely, awkward moments. we will help you avoid the pitfalls of the holidays. >> the four of us are really big on assignments. we were giving the assignment/holiday thing to do at night of making our festive holiday dishes that are near and dear to our heart. fourth of us went home last night. we each made a dish we usually eat at our holiday meal. we have all brought them in today. we are not competing. we are comparing. >> we are sharing. >> dylan thought it was a competition, because we know this. she is the overachiever that brought in cupcakes. >> i didn't see the cupcake. where are those? >> they are somewhere. they didn't turn out good, so don't even worry about it. >> and beef wellington, we might

add. on top of that, you have a check of our weather. >> and it is perfectly cold for the holiday season. everybody trying toerfectly col holiday season. it is looking like a sunny day in the northeast, at least, but we do have a couple snow showers possible as we go into christmas eve. that's always nice, something you want to hear, as we go into christmas eve and early christmas morning, showers, but nothing too early down across the rest of the southeast, and we have snow across most of montana and wyoming as well, and then the christmas forecast, light snow possible in oklahoma and down into arkansas, but we do have a chance of some severe storms possible in eastern texas all the way over into western georgia, so something we will keep an eye on for christmas day and then the whole storm system pushes east and it looks like rain through most of next week across the east coast. that's a look at the weather across the country and now here's a peek outside your

window. >> i am chuck bell, and it's bright and sunny outside but cold. gaithersburg, temperatures in the 20s. and fairfax to falls church, low to mid-20s now. a cold start for sure, but 100% sunshine in the forecast for today. highs today well up into the mid and perhaps even the upper 40s for a we're saying happy birth day to uncle kelly from mississippi. real warm down that way. tonight is sunday. tonight is "football night in america." we are headed out to the pacific northwest as the 49ers take on the seahawks. obvious obviously, pretty cold and rainy for your sunday night in america. >> dylan, thanks some fans of the hit game show, "wheel of fortune" are crying foul after contestant

renee did your rant was passed over for mispronouncing a word. first mike taibbi has the story. >> reporter: the squares were filling in and anyone watching who knows the 12 days of christmas probably had the answer. renee durack did too. >> "seven swans a swimmin' well, that's not right. >> renee, who had nearly $4,000 on the line had said swimmin', not swimming. >> "seven swans a swimmin'". >> amy got it right but seemed to feel bad about it. >> seven swans a swimming. >> do you know what happened there? >> no. well, renee knew what happened as well. it was easy to do, because you kind of did it in the ver knack cuellar and left off that. >> a terrible decision to rob

that poor woman of her victory. won't be watching anymore. >> on twitter, that's cold. shame on "wheel of fortune." you got to be kiddin'. it has been an american tv staple for nearly four decades. like all successful game shows, there are rules. >> the show has been on for a long time. i'm sure they have had situations like this before. if anybody knows the rules of the show, it is pat sajack. >> fact, right answers called wrong because they were mispronounced, no. >> what is wimbledon. we have to take some money away from you, reid. i am informed you very clearly said wimbleton, not wimbledon. >> renee was up $8,000 and could have won more. when you are playing a game for money, the rules --

>> after gold finger played the wrong ball out of a rough. >> we are playing strict rules so i'm afraid you lose the hole and the match. >> can be both strict and costly. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> renee joins us exclusively here this morning. nice to have you with us. this was taped three months ago. it just aired. how are you feeling about it, especially now that you are reliving it? >> it's amazin', because we taped three months ago and i had to keep the big secret. we had a little party athe house and had everyone over. everyone got to watch it together. thursday morning i wake up and everybody was like, you are everywhere. >> everywhere. youtube, everything. everybody is so supportive. it has been so crazy, because it is blowing up. i'm from florida. the "g" is silent. >> a couple of times you have

dropped the "g." >> i called the "g." i knew the "g" was there. it happens. unfortunately, it happened in a way that was not necessarily in my favor. i understand. they have their rules. it's disappointin' because you think you are an a roll and everything was going great. you could tell pat was a little uncomfortable. >> he said yes but the judges said no. >> it was kind of a yeah like he expected me to have it because it is wa the letters that were up there. he spent a little bit of time explaining it to everybody, the v vernacular and how things go. >> the other contestant looked a little bewildered. how awkward was that? >> the whole tenure of the show changed.

she thought i had said it. that's when pat had to explain it all. everybody was cordial about it but it was disheartenin'. >> you have been a fan for a long time. this was a big deal. >> it was a big deal. >> it was a fantastic experience to have. how many people get to be on the show at all, let alone have such an internet crazed blow-up after the fact. i didn't win the show. >> you did walk away with some cash. >> i did win $8200. >> there is no appeal you can do on that? >> i can't imagine. >> the game show court of appeals. >> that's a good idea for a new show. >> a new reality show this fall on nbc. >> renee, nice to have you here. >> thanks so much. >> enjoy the holidays. up next, avoiding uncomfortable moments at the

holiday season just like that awkward pause. who is reading that line? here, you take thisone, lester. >> we'll have ed i cut tips from gift-giving and last-minute invitations. and jingle was a good dog. ruff! ruff! jingle loved to bark hello. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle even loved to sing. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle! let's read the book to him. jingle, stay. and jingle did. ruff! ruff! [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds. cheese plate? cheese plate...nope. i made something better. ♪ you used the oven? boom ♪ [ male announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin.

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etiquette this morning on today's countdown to christmas, handling awkward holidays, here to help tab tackle some touchy subjects, anthony and philip, author of "social cues" how to survive the quirks, quandries and quagmires of today. >> our first question. dylan is out there with someone from the crowd. >> reporter: we have angela here. i love this question. this has happened in my family

before. what's your question? >> what do you do when a geflt brings a child to the holiday party who has a contagious illness like flu or conjunctivitis. >> it is nice when they are coughing over your food. >> it is the holidays. people make bad decisions because they are so frazzled. i would probably try to quarantine the kid. i think it would be too harsh to try to send them home. oh, your son looks a little sick. why don't we get him into the guest room and put him in there with some toys. >> and lock the door. >> and lock the door, slide some crackers and water under it. >> you are basically talking quarantine. >> sort of quarantine. >> do you agree? >> i agree, absolutely. the most you could probably say, little jimmy doesn't look sow hot. i would feel so much better if he was home resting. that's the most you could say to encourage them to change their mind. >> the next question, viewer

e-mail comes from zajane in ohi. my sister always gives my kids extravagant gifts sometimes unstaging santa. i've tried to talk to her. she says she can be as generous as she wants to be. how can i tell her to stop spiling my kids? >> she has talked to her once and this hasn't worked. some people think they have talked to someone. you need to be fairly direct. the kids are going to love whatever you give, no matter what. we would really like to be santa. you can't go as far as holding back the presents. let the kids appreciate them and send their thank you notes. >> i think you can make a strong point to the sister about you and your husband trying to cut down on the materialism at ch s christmas so she doesn't feel like it is an attack on her but a family project. maybe she will tone it down. it would be a lot worse if she didn't care about your kids. >> this is true, this is true.

>> as an aunt, what's the big deal. i got my nephew a car. he is 2 1/2. i'm not sure what the big deal is. >> dylan is out on the plaza with another question. >> reporter: we have robert. i'm an on-time person, i love this question. >> we invited our family to dinner this year. we told everyone it is going to be at 1:00. what do we do at 1:00 if people show up late. do we start our dinner at 1:00? >> fashionably late when it comes to a holiday gathering like a christmas luncheon. >> you want to wait. no one is going to die of starvation if you wait a half hour. >> is that the cut-off point? >> i would wait a half hour. i would sit them down. when they walk in the door, you would say, gosh, we're sorry. we started without you. come on in. try to make them feel as welcome as possible. >> we have got to make the trains run on time. >> especially with all the time put into preparing these

beautiful holiday meals. about a half hour, keep a plate warm. they can join when they get there. >> don't make it awkward. >> where were you guys? don't make it on? >> that's the really good impulse to squelch. absorb somebody else's mistakes. >> we have e-mails from marcus in new haven. my two best friends have been es strained for almost a year. i would love to get us back together again. can i invite them both to a holiday dinner and not tell them what i'm up to? >> it is a really good impulse. i don't think tricking people into making up, it's not going to work. they might get angry with you. why not be up front with them and say, a year is long enough, you guys. come to dinner at my house and let's see if we can just get things back on the right track? not the ambush. >> the christmas ambush. >> the ambush doesn't work. you don't know. a year, they are pretty

committed to whatever happened. if the answer is no, you have planted the seed for them to maybe start to reconcile. >> dylan, you got more questions out there. >> yes, i do. renee has a great question about a very awkward situation. >> at work, i commented on an ugly christmas sweater and it was her nice christmas sweater. how do i remedy that situation? >> well, you could quit. >> maybe some extra holiday cookies for this person as an apology. >> e o, you'this is right up th oh, you're having a baby. no, i'm not. just smile. please forgive me. i'm so sorry. >> total self-deprecation. i'm an idiot. >> and, by the way, that sweater really is ugly. >> if you didn't get it the first time. >> thanks very much. happy holidays to both of you. our "weekend today" holiday

potluck, we will share some favorite holiday dishes and no insults, right? >> no, never. not at our holiday. [ woman ] dear cat, your hair mixes with pollen and dust. i get congested. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. just unroll it, fill, top, bake, and present. that must have taken you forever!

it was really tough. [ female announcer ] pillsbury pie crust. let the making begin

♪ this morning on "today's" kitchen, a holiday potluck. last month, lester, our self-proclaimed pie master and dylan went head to head in a thanks giving spot. ever since then, we wanted in. >> everybody has brought in our favorite holiday dishes. jenna, it figures you would come up with a healthy option. >> you are not shocked. truth be told, i'm not so good

in the kitchen. every year, i make the holiday salad at our house. we grew up in the caribbean. there is a little bit of caribbean flare with the brightness of the salad and a citrus dressing and pomegranate seeds. >> oh, great. fruit dropper. >> this looks delicious. take a little bite. some crumbled blue cheese, walnuts, butter lettuce and grapefruit. enjoy it. also, dylan took my fork. >> it's really simple but a really great compliment. >> the grapefruit and blue cheese are really very nice. >> so after the salad, we move on to and comparing it to, i can't even believe i made a

salad. you made beef wellington, dylan. you can buy this in a restaurant. >> you can make this fresh. >> it is just crescent rolls. this is the easiest thing to make. you make it the day before. you take a filet, a tenderloin and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, garlic power, cook it the night before for 40 minutes. the next day, you take the pre-made crescent rolls and roll it up. >> should we take a bite? >> are you cooking this dinner, dylan? >> i might make this. my house is pure chaos. we did just move. it is really simal to make. >> you don't eat red meat. >> but the pastry was so good. the pastry was amazing. >> it is very good. >> erica, you were up last night making french toast but the dog

ate an important ingredient. >> my husband and i discovered this recipe a few years ago. it is a baked french toast. so you can make it christmas eve and just throw it in the oven in the morning to make sure they eat something. if you need to, you can cut it up and they can take it in the car. last night, we came home. my mother had our kids for the night, which was very nice. we went to dinner. i started to get my ingredients out and i couldn't find my loaf of hallah brad. i found a wrapper on the floor in the dining room, jake. jake would be our ten-year-old dog who doesn't think the rules apply. jake enjoyed the bread. >> when jake belched, that was your clue. >> there is the jay-man looking so sad. interestingly enough, he needed to go out when i left the house. >> that picture had jake with the sun shining. >> no. i took that last night. >> i'm going to try it. we have real maple syrup. >> you just beat up some eggs, some milk, some spices, poor it

all over in a baking dish, thick slices of hala. before you put it in the oven, let is sit overnight. before you put it in the oven, add some blueberries. >> it is so much less messy than regular french toast. >> so much better than a bowl of egg whites. >> look at all the accidents you are avoiding. >> i'm blown away. that was really good. >> we are going down the line with health. here is lester. >> there is nothing healthy in this bonbon. my mom used to make this every holiday. i know i haven't had them since i was a teenager. she was coming to visit. i said, bring that recipe. she dug it up. yesterday, between shows, i made it. it has coconut, some nuts and lots of sugar and lots of butter. it tastes really good. >> are these hard to dip? i find when i making any with chocolate, i can't make them. >> it calls for paraffin wax.

i panicked. i said, mom, you can't eat paraffin wax. i did this without paraffin wax. >> whatever you did it with, it's delicious. >> really good, really good. >> thank you. >> we should all get together and do something, at least food. >> we're going to make our plans. you make your plans and we'll be back after this message. t, righ? uh-huh. i know this hasn't always been easy for you. and i'm really happy that you're in my life, too. ♪ it's just like yours, mom! [ jane ] behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open hearts collection at kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. there are millions of reasons to give one, but the message is always the same. keep your heart open... and love will always find its way in. thank you. thank you. ♪ every kiss begins with kay

♪ before we go this morning, we want to say good-bye with today's life illustrated in the holiday pictures you sent us. >> meanwhile, i'll see you back tonight in the holiday news. have a great sunday! so long.

♪

the debate over gun control takes aim in the district. this has the head of the nra calls for armed guards in schools. now the height of the holiday rush is impacting our area. and cleared for play. the countdown is on as robert griffin iii gets ready for his return. welcome to "news4 today." it's sunday, december 23rd, 2012. what a difference a day makes. we are waking up to calmer conditions. >> but it's still cold out there. let's go to meteorologist, chuck bell, for more.